(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an accessory for a wheeled occupant propelled land vehicle, which accessory serves to carry a portable flexible shackle. More specifically it relates to a carrier accessory for holding a coiled shackle, with or without a padlock, on a cycle.
(b) Discussion of the Prior Art
During the past two to three decades great interest has arisen in bicycles as a means of non-polluting transportation and as a source of recreation and exercise. Concomitant with that interest, substantial strides have been made in the engineering and manufacturing of bicycles. As a result, high quality and lightweight multi-speed recreational and racing bicycles, rugged trail bicycles, and the like are now quite popular and widely owned. In turn, the cost of these types of bicycles has increased. In another spectrum, many youths have bicycles as their primary source of recreation and transportation, and as their most expensive possession. However, owners of bicycles run a great risk of loss due to bicycle theft if their bicycles are left unattended or unsecured. Therefore most bicycles, when unattended, are secured to a bicycle stand, post, tree, or other fixed object with locks; and with flexible shackles, such as chains and security cables which are secured with padlocks; and with various other locking devices.
Because of its light weight, compactness, and resistance to tampering and cutting, the cable, and especially the helically coiled cable, combined with a padlock, has enjoyed great popularity with the bicycling public for use in securing a bicycle against theft. However, once purchased, the best method for carrying such a chain or cable while the bicycle is being ridden is left to the imagination of the rider. Many riders attach the ends of their chains or cables to the underside of their bicycle seat, or wrap the shackle around the post under the bicycle seat, or around the bicycle frame. Other riders wrap the chain or cable on the handlebars of their bicycles, or carry them separately in a bag or on their person. These methods of carrying a shackle and padlock are either time consuming or awkward, and may pose a potential hazard to the rider or cause damage to the bicycle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,008 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,770 to Smith, there is described a bracket component which is directly connected to and under the bicycle seat, which bracket component is designed to hold a padlock whose shackle in turn supports a self-coiling wire cable. When the padlock and self-coiling wire cable are positioned on the bracket and the bicycle is ridden, the coil is free to move, thereby potentially interfering with the operation of the bicycle or causing damage to the bicycle due to the fact that usually only the ends of the shackle are secured. As a result, the body of the shackle is free to move in such a manner as to potentially interfere with the operation of the bicycle. Also, over time, the wire cable may loses its memory and shape, and stretch in a manner which may cause interference. U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,997 to Hughes et al, Swiss Pat. No. 238,250 to Rickli, PCT Publication W083/00354 of Burnett, and German Pat. No. 132,445 to Herrmann disclose the use of various types of relatively complex and heavy portable bicycle security systems which are permanently attached to a bicycle seat post or frame. Each of these security systems are designed to contain or dispense a security cable or chain. Each of these devices is either quite complicated or quite heavy, and, once attached, cannot be easily removed from the bicycle. For these various reasons, they are somewhat undesirable for use on a bicycle.
Dutch Pat. No. 8300-423 to Lips teaches the use of a "U"-shaped lock with attached chain for securing a bicycle wheel or frame to a stationary object during nonuse of the bicycle. Such a system is heavy, permanently connected to the bicycle, and is not easily carried when the bicycle is being ridden. U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,024 to Timmons et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,894 to Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,741 to Arblaster, U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,387 to Gould, U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,720 to Green, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,916 to Pender all describe different types of combined bicycle security systems which include a shackle and a lock and a container for carrying and dispensing a shackle and a lock, and a system for attaching such a storage device to a bicycle. Again, each of these devices is either quite complicated or quite heavy, and cannot be easily removed from a bicycle once they are attached, thereby making them somewhat undesirable for use on a bicycle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,289 to Loux describes the use of a disk device received around a bicycle seat post for wrapping and holding a security chain or cable thereon. Again, when the chain or cable is positioned on the disk and the bicycle is ridden, the chain or cable is free to move, thereby potentially interfering with the operation of the bicycle or damaging the bicycle.
None of the above-mentioned patents or other known prior art disclose a carrier for attaching a shackle to a bicycle, with or without a padlock, using an accessory carrier system which is simultaneously light weight and quick and efficient to place a coiled shackle on and from which to remove a coiled shackle, while maintaining substantially the entire body of the shackle, with or without a padlock, in a manner and in a position such that the entire body of the shackle is substantially secured against movement, thereby eliminating the potential for the shackle to interfere with the use of the bicycle or to damage the bicycle.